WHAT TO EXPECT : Although UConn coach
Jim Calhoun
cut his teeth at Northeastern, don't expect him to give the visitors a break tonight. The last time Northeastern played at Gampel Pavilion, UConn won by 36 points. It could be more of the same this time. After routing UMass, 84-68, last Wednesday at the

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Mullins Center
, Northeastern took it on the chin Saturday night in a 59-53 home loss to Wright State. Point guard Jose Juan Barea, a 5-foot-11 junior and the nation's leading scorer, is averaging 25.0 ppg this season. But he struggled against Wright State. Barea scored just 12 points on 5-of-16 shooting, including a 1-of-5 line from 3-point range. Of course, Barea also scored 35 points against Cornell and 30 points against Harvard last month. "He's the real deal," Calhoun said. "He can really score and go by you." Barea's partner in the backcourt, Miami transfer Marcus Barnes, is no stranger to UConn. The team's second-leading scorer with 19.3 ppg, Barnes led Northeastern with 13 points Saturday. But like Barea, he couldn't find the basket and shot 5-of-16. "They'll be able to score some points," Calhoun cautioned. "Hopefully, we will be able to run our stuff. The big thing is the defense we're going to be able to get out of our guards." If the Indiana game is any indication - clearly, the Hoosiers are a step above Northeastern abd Calhoun should have no worries. The Indiana backcourt of Bracey Wright and
Marshall Strickland
shot a combined 14-of-36 (38.9 percent) against UConn on Saturday in Hartford.